Gas burner igniter



July 11, 1950 R. s. TAYLOR GAS BURNER IGNITER File d larch 1, 1945 Pmma-Ju 11.1950

GAS nuance roman Robert S. Taylor, Evansville, Ind., auignor to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 1, 1945, Serial No. 580,372

4 Claims. (Cl. 158-115 My invention relates to gas ranges and more particularly to igniters for oven and broiler burners of gas ranges.

In gas ranges it is desirable that the different burners be ignited from a single igniter, such as a constantly-burning pilot or an electric igniter. This is accomplished by providing flash tubes which convey fuel gas from the different burners to the single pilot where the gas ignites and the flame flashes back through the flash tubes and ignites the gas at the different bumem. In order for a flash tubeto function successiully, itis necessary that a combustible mixture of fuel gas and air be contained throughout the length of the flash tube. The lighting of top burners is a fairly simple procedure because the pilot is located at substantially the same level'as the top burners and since the flash tubes are substantially horizontal, the flow oi gas from the top burners injects a combustible mixture of gas and air throughout the length of the flash tubes. The oven and broiler burners of modern gas ranges are, however, generally located well below the top burners and hence well below the constantly-burning pilot. Theretore, with gases with slow rate of flame propagation, narrow explosive limits and/or specific gravities near to or greater than air, the problem of lighting the oven and broiler burners irom. a top burner pilot is more complex.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a simple, reliable means for igniting all the burners of a gas range from a single constantly-burning pilot.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accom- FlFig. B is a. sectional view taken on line 0-8 of Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a side view, partly in vertical section, schematically illustrating a second embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the gas valve illustrated in Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of a nozzle for injecting gas into a flash tube.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, indicates generally a gas range having a top burner compartment 22, a plurality of top burners 24, only one of which is shown, an oven 26 provided 3 with a burner 28 and a constan yburning pilot panying drawing, wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the different views, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in vertical section, of a gas range illustrating one embodiment oi my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view, partly in vertical section, of a gas valve incorporating my invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 oi Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 01! Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 oi Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the valve in a different position;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line |l of Fig. 6;

'30. Top burners 24 and consta -burning pilot 30 are supplied with fuel gas m a maniiold 32 by suitable connections (no shown). Oven burner 28 is supplied with fuel as from manifold 32 by means of a conduit-3t, a valve 36, a conduit 38, a safety cut-out valve to, a conduit 42 and a mixin tube at. Safety cut-out valve.

45, which may be of any suitable type, is provided with a pilot a and athermal element 40b which causes the valveto open or close depend-' ing upon whether or not pilot 40a lighted. A flash tube it, forlighting pilot 40 has one end positioned directly above pilot tila and its opposite end positioned adjacent constantlyburning pilot 30. A conduit 38 having an inlet connected to valve 35 and three outlet branches a connected to flash tube 46 supp s fuel gas to the flash tube. Each of the tlets 48a, is provided with a nozzle or restrictor 8b (Fig. 12).

Valve 35 in the form illustrated includes a cylindrical valve body 50 having a rotatable plug 52 fitted therein. A cap 54 is secured to the valve body and serves as a sealing gems and as a guide for a valve stem 56 secur to plug 52. An operating knob 58 is secured to valve stem 58 and is provided with suitable indices (not shown) for indicating difierent positions of the valve plug. A coil spring 60 surrounds valve stem 56 and holds plug 52 tightly against cap 54. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, valve body 50 is provided with suitable ports to receive conduits 34, 38 and 48. Valve body 50 is also provided with ports to receive an inlet conduit 62 and an outlet conduit 64 connected to a gas receiver or reservoir 56., Valve plug 52 is provided .with a plurality of transverse ports 58, 10a, Hlb and 12, with ports 10, 10a and 10b in substantially the same plane and opening into an axial port 14 which in turn opens into port I. with valve 36 in closed position, as shown in Figs. 2-5 inclusive, gas is supplied to reservoir 86 through conduit 84, port Ila, port 18b and conduit 82. However, as shown in Fig. 6, port I! is out of communication with conduits l4 and 48; therefore, gas is stored in reservoir 68. In practice, reservoir 66 is made in' the form of an expansible-contractible container, such, for example, as a bellows.

when it is desired to light the oven burner, knob 58 is turned from the 05" to the on" position; that is, valve 36 is turned from the position shown in Figs. 25 inclusive to the position shown in Figs. 6-9 inclusive. In the on" position, port I2 (Fig. 9) is in communication with conduits 64 and 48, port 18 is in communication with conduit 34, port 18b is out of communication with conduit 62 (Fig. 8) and port 68 is in communication with conduit 38 (Fig. 7) Therefore, the supply of gas to reservoir 66 is cut of! and, due to the expansible-contractible form of the reservoir, the gas that is contained therein under pressure flows through conduit 64, port 12, conduit 48 and branch conduits 48a into flash tube 46 at spaced points along the length thereof. Simultaneous with flow of gas to the flash tube, gas also flows through conduit 34, port I8, port- 'I4, port 68 and conduit 38 to safety cut-out valve 48 and pilot 48a. The gas that has been conveyed to flash tube 46 by branch conduits 48a mixes with the air contained therein to fill the flash tube throughout its length with a combustible air gas mixture, which mixture is ignited by constantly-burning pilot 38 and the flame is flashed back through the tube and ignites pilot 48a. The flame of pilot 48a now heats thermal element 48b which causes safety cut-out valve 40 to snap to open position, whereby gas flows through conduit 42 and mixing tube 44 to oven burner 28 where it is ignited by pilot 4811. Pilot 48a is always in open communication with conduit 38; therefore, whenever valve 36 is turned on gas is supplied to pilot 48a. Gas is not supplied to the oven burner, however, unless pilot 48a is lighted. If, for some extraordinary reason, pilot 48a fails to light when the oven gas valve 36 is turned on, the valve is turned off.

whereby reservoir 66 is again charged with gas, then valve 36 is turned on causing gas from the reservoir to again fill the flash tube 46. The

restrictors 48b in branch conduits 48a cause the gas to be conveyed uniformly through the several branches and also prevent flash-backs through the branches and into conduit 48.

In Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawing there is illustrated a second embodiment of my inven-- tion which is adapted to be incorporated in a 1 gas range generally similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1. The construction and arrangement of the constantly-burning pilot, the flash tube, the safety cut-out valve, the pilot for the safety cutout valve and the oven burner in the second embodiment are substantially identical with that illustrated in Fig. 1; therefore, a description of valve 36' is all that is necessary.

Valve 36' includes a body member I4 provided with transverse ports 16, I8 and 88 having conduits 34, 38 and 48,. respectively, connected thereto. Ports I6 and 18 are in line and open into a cylindrical bore 82 formed in the valve body. Bore 82 is fitted with a cylindrical plug 84 provided with a transverse port 86, an axial port 88 in open communication with port 86, a

transverse port 88 in open communication with port 88 and an annular recess 82 in open communication with port 88. As shown, recess 8! is in open communication with a. transverse port 88a formed In body member I4 in line with port 88. A closure or retaining nut 84 is threaded into the open end of bore 82 to seal the end of the bore and also serve as a guide for a cylindrical valve stem 86 attached to valve plug 84. Valve stem 86' is provided with an operating knob 88 and with a. compression spring I88 positioned between the knob and the closure nut 84. A transverse pin I82 rigidly secures knob 88 on valve stem 86. As shown, valve body I4 is provided with a second cylinder bore I84 arranged in parallel relation with bore 82 and in open communication with ports 88 and 88a. A valve plug I86 is fitted in bore I84 and is provided with an annular recess I88 adapted to register with ports 88 and 88a. A retaining nut H8 is threaded into the open end of bore I84 to seal the end of the bore and to serve as a guide for a valve stem II2 attached to valve plug I88. Valve stem H2 is provided with a hemispherical head H4 and with a compression spring II which serves to yieldably hold the valve plug I86 in the position shown in Fig. 11.

In operation, knob 88 is rotated to bring the valve to open position, as shown in Fig. 11. This causes fuel gas to flow through conduit 34, port 16, port 86, port I8 and conduit 38 to safety cutout valve 48 and pilot 48a. Simultaneous with the rotation of knob 88, or if desired after the knob has been rotated to register port 86 with ports I6 and I8, the knob is pushed inward or to the right, as viewed in Fig. 11, carrying valve plugs 84 and I86 with it and positioning recess I88 in line with ports 88a and 88. This causes fuel gas to flow through port 88, port 88, recess 92, port 88a, recess I88, port 88, conduit 48 and branch conduits 48a into flash tube 46. As before, the gas mixes with air contained in the flash tube filling the tube throughout its length with a combustible gas-air mixture; the mixture is ignited by constantly-burning pilot 38; the flame flashes through the tube to ignite pilot 48a; and the flame from pilot 48a heats thermal element 48b causing safety cut-out valve 48 to open the supply of gas to oven burner 28. After pilot 48a has been ignited, knob 88 is released, whereby spring I88 returns valve plug 84 to the position shown in Fig. 11 and spring II6 returns valve plug I86 to its off position.

Safety cut-out valve 48 and pilot 48a maybe eliminated from each of the illustrated embodiments, in which case the lower end of the flash tube is located above or adjacent one of the ports of oven burner 28.

While I have illustrated and described but two,

posed with its lower end above said oven pilot.

and its upper end adjacent said normally-lighted pilot, means for supplying gas to said oven pilot and to said flash tube at a plurality of spaced points intermediate the ends thereof, whereby said flash tube is charged with a combustible airgas mixture throughout its length which mixture 5 is ignited by said normally-lighted pilot and the flame flashes through said flash tube and ignites said oven pilot.

2. In a gas range, a top burner, a normallylighted pilot adapted to light said top burner, an oven burner positioned appreciably below said normally-lighted pilot, a safety cut-out valve for controlling the supply of gas to said oven burner, an oven pilot, a vertical flash tube disposed with its lower end above said oven pilot and its upper end adjacent said normally-lighted pilot, and a valve for simultaneously supplying gas to said oven pilot and to said flash tube at points near each end and at a point intermediate the ends" thereof, whereby said flash tube is charged with a combustible air-gas mixture throughout its length which mixture is ignited by said normallylighted pilot andthe flame flashes through said flash tube and ignites said oven pilot.

3. In a gas range, a normally-lighted pilot located at an upper elevation, a main burner located at a lower elevation, an upwardly-projecting flash tube disposed with its lower end adjacent said main burner and its upper end adjacent said normally-lighted pilot, a gas reservoir, a gas supply conduit, a multi-ported valve in said conduit, a conduit for conducting gas from said valve to a plurality of spaced points along the length of said flash tube, a conduit for conducting gas from said valve to said main burner, inlet and outlet conduits connecting said gas reservoir to said valve, the construction and arrangement of said valve being such that in one position of said valve said main burner is out of communication with the gas supply conduit, the inlet conduit of said reservoir is in open communication with the gas supply conduit and the outlet conduit of the gas reservoir is closed, and in another position of said valve said main burner is in open communication with said gas supply conduit, the inlet conduit or said reservoir is out of communication with the gas supply conduit and the outlet conduit 01' said reservoir is in open communication with the conduit which conducts gas to said flash tube.

4. In a gas range, a normally-lighted burner located at an upper elevation, a main burner located at a lower elevation, an upwardly-projecting flash tube disposed with its lower end adjacent said main burner and its upper end adiacent said normally-lighted burner, an expansiblecontractible gas reservoir, a gas supply conduit, a multi-ported valve in said conduit, a conduit for conducting gas from said valve to a plurality of spaced points along the length of said flash tube, a conduit for conducting gas from said valve to said main burner, inlet and outlet conduits connecting said gas reservoir to said valve,

the construction and arrangement of said valve being such that in one position of said valve said main burner is out of communication with the gas supply conduit, the inlet conduit of said reservoir is in open communication with the gas supply conduit and the outlet conduit of the gas reservoir is closed, and in another position of said valve said main burner is in open communication with said gas supply conduit, the inlet conduit of said reservoir is out of communication with the gas supply conduit and the outlet conduit of said reservoir is in open communication with the conduit which conducts gas to said flash tube.

ROBERT S. TAYLOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent: I

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

